YMCĀ
Atamira Dance Company
Atamira Dance Company presents YMCĀ, a first full-length commission by acclaimed choreographer Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu).
A bold takatāpui rebirth of the Village People, YMCĀ parallels the pop culture icons through a cast caught between character and confession. Wearing a rack of performed identities, the band interrogates the archetypes, the macho men, and the staging of queerness and indigeneity. A discography somewhere between authenticity, expectation, and spectacle.
1970’s luxe meets 18th-century bloodshed; a disco interior with a cultural inferior. Beneath the work’s carpeted exterior lies a horned tension, where inherited narratives are pulled apart, restaged, and worn by someone else.
A carpetbagger is a “special person in anybody’s land”. The script is up for revision as our new Village People endeavour to rewrite their story. To live a life of freedom, machos make a stand.
Hot off the heels of the Venice Biennale Danza, and known for genre-defying works including The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave, Mathiesen brings his new distinctive choreographic voice to Atamira – the tuakana platform for Māori contemporary dance, championing the next generation of artists.
Alluring, camp-soaked, and unapologetically original, YMCĀ invites audiences into a world where appropriation has never looked so good.
COMPANY CREDITS
Kaitito Nekehanga | Choreographer: Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu)
Kaikanikani | Dancers: Abbie Rogers (Kāi Tahu, Te Arawa), Caleb Heke (Ngāpuhi), Madison Tumataroa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera), Sharvon Mortimer (Ngāti Porou), Tai Taranui Hemana (Te Arawa) & Toalei Pearl (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kauwhata)
Kaihoahoa Whakaaturanga | Set Design: Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu)
Kaihoahoa Tūrama | Lighting Design: Rowan Pierce
Kaihoahoa Oro | Sound Design: Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu)
Kaitito Puoro | Sound Composition and Production: Taimana Davis (Ngāti Hine, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāpuhi nui tonu)
Kaiwhakarākei Kākahu | Costume Sourcing & Styling: Ashley M. David & Marama Lloydd (Ngāpuhi, Te Tahawai, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu)
Kaihanga Kākahu | Costume Construction: Natalie Miskin & Madison Tumataroa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pahauwera)
Kaiāwhina Matua | Production Support Lead: Rowan Pierce
Kaiāwhina | Production Support: Spencer Earwaker
Kaitautoko | Production Assistance: Alex Leonhartsberger, Rob Larsen (Ngāti Awa ki te Awa o te Atua), Max Mason & Rose Morrison
Kaitiaki Atamira | Stage Manager: Gina Heidekruger
Kaitiaki Atamira | Assistant Stage Manager: Sofia Miernik
Ringa Hangarau | Operator: Jazmin Whittall
Whakatairanga | Campaign:
Creative Direction: Kaan Hiini (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa)
Photography: Sophie Miya-Smith
Videography: Benj Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tamanuhiri)
Production Design: Filament Eleven 11
Pūtea | Supporters:
Creative New Zealand, Foundation North, Auckland Council & Rainbow NZ Charitable Trust
OLI MATHIESEN
Role: Kaitito Nekehanga / Choreographer
Pronouns: he / they
Iwi: Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu, Ngāpuhi
Oli Mathiesen is a queer choreographer and dancer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. An emerging artist, he has performed and taught nationally and internationally, including with Atamira Dance Company (Ka Mua Ka Muri, Te Wheke, Kaha-Tripleboost), The New Zealand Dance Company, Black Grace, and in Crystal Pite’s 10 Duets on a Theme of Rescue (2023). He has choreographed works including Arero Ma, Divine Estate, Still Solo, Night and Mortar, and his award-winning endurance work The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave, which has toured around the world. Oli is the sole winner of the international call for a new choreographic creation at La Biennale di Venezia, premiering Just Between Me and Jesus at the Venice Biennale Danza 2026. His unique perspective, shaped by his indigenous, political, queer, and gendered identity, forms the essence of his artistry.
Supported by:
16+
Highly visual, Audio based, content warning, Hearing Assistive Technology Available
Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance, and admission cannot always be guaranteed. Please arrive early to ensure you don’t miss the show.
No photography or videography permitted
Please silence your phone during the performance
Show contains nudity, sexual references, mature themes, smoke/haze, strobe, sudden loud noises, depictions of a musket and blood.
